Tuesday, July 18, 2017

There's certainly no shortage of ghost stories in New York, but it's not often a political figure steps up and makes statements about potential spirits. Current NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has done just that.

According to the Albany Times Union, Cuomo mentioned the topic back in April, noting that he's not interested in ghosts and considers himself a 'big, tough guy,' but bravado aside, he reports that he doesn't sleep much in the mansion:

"It's a creepy house. I'm a big, tough guy so I don't get afraid of ghosts, but I'm not enamored with them anyway. So I don't sleep much when I'm in that house because there are a lot of noises going on, and it gives me a chance to read up on past governors and what they've done in New York."

A later report in the New York Post offered further statements from the Governor:

"So, it's me alone, when I'm in the house because my family is in Westchester...and there are stories that this house is haunted. Now, I don't believe in ghosts, and I'm a big, tough Italian guy, but I'll tell you, it gets creepy in that house, and there are a lot of noises that go on and you are very alone."

The mansion is 161 years old and sits near the Capitol building in Albany. According to historians, the only recorded death in the mansion occurred in 1909 when the Reverend David C. Hughes, father of Governor Charles Hughes, died from a "stroke of apoplexy."

Whether or not Rev. Hughes is responsible for the paranormal activity in the mansion is up for debate. Most people don't believe that the Reverend had any unfinished business to keep him around. Still, New York State Capitol assistant curator Stuart Lehman, who leads the annual Capitol Hauntings tours every Halloween, says visitors have reported a variety of strange sounds and sights in state buildings, including the governor's mansion.

Former governor David Paterson stepped up with his own take on the haunted mansion telling the Post that ghost absolutely did exist in the grand old house.
Paterson says that while living at the mansion, his five-year-old nephew told him he could feel an invisible hand guiding him up the home's stairs. The former governor also relayed one of his personal accounts.
Late one night, he was in a second-floor bedroom when he heard a sound 'like a vase smashing.' He searched two floors of the building but could find nothing to explain the strange noise. The following day, he spoke with staff who told the governor he'd encountered the mansion's ghost.

"I told the staff, and they all got quiet and left the room. One came to me and said, Governor, nobody wanted to say this to you, but it's the ghost. One employee is afraid to clean one of the rooms because she thinks the ghost is in the room."

Staff members at the mansion believe the spirit is that of a former groundskeeper. In fact, they believe it's the groundskeeper for the mansion's original owners, that is-before the state bought the building in 1877-meaning that the noisy spirit may have been present for a very long time.

Paterson offered some words of comfort to the current governor:

"Governor Cuomo should be relieved, it's a friendly ghost, like Casper."

As for current governor Cuomo, he spends most of his time at his family home in Westchester and when he's in the Albany mansion, well, those sleepless nights are spent buried in books, trying perhaps, to ignore the eerie sounds that take over the historic building each night.

"...come with me now as we take a trek into the dark and turbulent domain of Nessie, the world's most supernatural monster."

So says Nick Redfern in the introduction of his new book, "Nessie." In some ways, it's a big promise, but as usual, Redfern delivers.

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the world's most famous cryptids. Over the years, there have been countless books published examining various theories to explain what the monster may be. That being the case, one has to wonder, what exactly a new book on the topic may have to offer. Sadly missing among the various publications of recent years, has been a close look at the supernatural elements and possibilities related to the creature. This, is what Nick has brought to the table with his latest foray.

Back in the 1960's, the late Frederick W. "Ted" Holiday, another Brit who was intrigued by the monster, wrote "The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters" Holiday used the term "Orm," roughly meaning "worm" as a launching point to delve into a theory that the creatures in Loch Ness, and in other lochs, were actually giant worms. Almost as soon as he published the theory, Holiday was off delving into other possibilities. Possibilities that the creatures were something more akin to the paranormal world rather than flesh and blood beasts.

Redfern delves into Holiday's work, paying tribute in a sense, but in some ways, it feels like he picked up the threads still hanging from questions Holiday brought up. Redfern brings in other fascinating aspects to the Loch Ness mystery as well, covering other researchers, and the numerous odd incidents that have unfolded in recent years. This in fact, is where the strength of the book lies.

UFOs? Check.

Dragon Cults? Check.

The "Great Beast" aka Aleister Crowley? Check.

The Exorcism of Loch Ness? Check.

And there's more, much more.

While many researchers insist that, if there is indeed a creature in Loch Ness, it must be a physical animal, the vast amount of strange occurrences around the loch over the years point to even more intriguing possibilities. It's this range of alternative information relating to Nessie and her environs that Redfern ably delves into in this volume. As with any good book in the fortean field, Nick offers some speculations and stimulates the inquiring mind, leaving more mysteries for us to explore.

As someone long intrigued by the creature and the Loch itself, I've read most, maybe all, of the material published over the years. But even if you're a veteran Nessie aficionado, you'll love this book as a "refresher" course on the weirder aspects of the legend and you might find a few gems you haven't heard much about previously.

Monday, July 10, 2017

The Hindustan Times is reporting that police in Western Rajasthan are at their wit's ends trying to solve a bizarre series of cases reported by families in the region. Reports claim that women and girls are being plagued by a "hair cutting ghost."

Baburam Meghwal, a resident of the Jodhpur district, told the Times:

"A few days ago, my 13-year-old daughter Asha (name changed) was sleeping in the night when someone chopped off a thick bunch of her hair. We came to know about the incident when she woke up and started crying."

The phantom barber started his attacks in June and, to date, authorities have received dozens of similar reports from across the region. Police started getting calls about the strange attacks and at the same time, social media posts added to the furor. Rumors spread like wildfire and a weird panic set in throughout several villages.

Many citizens believe that a group practicing black magic is involved. These evil magical practitioners purportedly have the ability to shape-shift. It's said they gain their powers by cutting the hair of unsuspecting females.

Meghwal expressed the same concern that residents have been discussing in hushed tones:"We suspect occult activities and the supernatural being involved in this as there was no outsider present in our house during the time of the incident."

Usually, the incidents occur when the women are sleeping. In some cases, the victims are put to sleep, perhaps via a gas. Tarachand Lakhan told reporters about the attack on his family:"I work at a hospital as a fourth class staff and was on duty when the incident happened. My family was watching TV when a strange smell started to come through the cooler and they all fell asleep."

Lakhan said after they awoke from their strange slumber, they discovered a lock of their fourteen-year-old daughter's hair near the front door. The family was so concerned they conducted a spiritual ceremony in the house for clearing and protection:

"We were extremely worried after the incident and had to conduct a pooja in our house to ward off any evil force that was behind this phenomenon. I didn't go to work for the next two days and stayed guard at the house."

A rural Police Superintendent voiced concern over the rapid spread of rumors and stated that the incidents were mostly affecting poor areas:

"We are investigating all the occasions, but so far, it's not clear who all are behind the phenomenon. Most of these incidents have taken place in the remotest of villages where literacy is very poor."

Adding to the growing panic, messages have been appearing in WhatsApp groups, warning villagers about evil spirits active in their communities. Terrified citizens have formed groups to patrol the streets, looking for the culprits.

The panic has been a boon to "bhopas," purported 'godmen' who claim to be experts on various mystical matters. These mystics claim they can offer protections against the evil entities...for a fee. Government officials have criticized the bhopas and the attempt to cash in on the situation:

"The bhopas are flaring up the situation by spreading unnecessary panic for their own profit."

Authorities are trying their best to control the growing panic, sending representatives out with nightly village patrols to prevent innocent people from being harmed. They have few leads on the source of the messages and are still attempting to get to the root of the panic.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

A man in Indianapolis, Indiana believes his guardian angel may have stepped in and prevented a potentially dire encounter. The witness was out enjoying a night on the town when he encountered a dark-eyed man with seemingly evil intent.

The incident occurred on a February night in 2007. Of interest here is that the witness was a veteran of the war in Iraq:

"The witness, his girlfriend and a couple of friends were out bar hopping on a Friday night in the Broad Ripple district when he ran out of cash and had to run to the ATM at the bank down the block. After withdrawing some cash from the ATM he turned around and saw that across the street was a man leaning against the telephone pole on the corner.He was dressed well in a black suit with an open collar, maroon shirt. H was tall, maybe 6'4" and was white with short, jet-black hair. He couldn't be sure of the distance, but was convinced that the stranger's eyes were completely jet-black.The scariest part was that the stranger was staring across this crowded intersection at the witness with an incredibly smug look on his face. The witness, an Iraqi war vet, was suddenly filled with "abject terror." The stranger's appearance was absolutely impeccable and he was just standing there, like he knew something the witness didn't and as if it were something the witness "wasn't going to like."He didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary so he took off at a quick pace back toward the club where his friends were. After several yards, he allowed himself a glance backward and saw that the stranger was following him across the street. He reminded himself that nothing could happen with people all around, but he didn't really believe it.He reached the club, but there was a line in front of the bouncer who was checking IDs. The witness stood there shaking with fear as he saw the man pause on the other side of the street, look both ways, then calmly begin crossing toward the witness. Every move he made was precise and deliberate. The witness somehow knew that when the man got to him something horrible was going to happen, and it was only with great effort that he managed to maintain his composure. Just then, another man walked up to the witness from the other direction.He was in his late 20's or early 30's, wearing jeans, sneakers, a baseball cap, and a hooded sweatshirt from a local university. He touched the witness on the shoulder and immediately the witness felt calmer. Then he said:"Don't worry. You're all right. We have everything under control."The witness glanced back at the man in the suit and he had paused in the middle of the street. It was amazing that he wasn't run over. The sweatshirt man turned away from the witness to face the man in the suit. It was clear to the witness that it was some kind of showdown. After a moment, the man in the suit sneered at them, in frustration it seemed. Then turned around and walked away. The sweatshirt man turned back to the witness with a reassuring smile, patted his shoulder, and walked on. Back inside the club, his girlfriend immediately noticed something was wrong, but before she could say anything, his other friend said:"Did your friend find you?"The witness replied, "Who?" His friend explained that he had run into a guy that had been looking for him. He described the sweatshirt man."

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Great time last night on Spaced Out Radio with host Dave Scott. We covered a lot of material including some legends of rock and roll and infamous "deals with the devil" at the crossroads, as well as Sasquatch, UFO sightings and much, much more.

If you missed the live show, check it out in the archives at the link below.

In one of those curious synchronicities that often seem to occur when delving into strange topics, several weird cryptid encounters involving frogs, frog-people and giant frogs have crossed my radar since I was in Loveland, Ohio.

For those not familiar with it, the town was the location for the famous "Loveland Frogman" sightings. The incidents were discussed in a previous post and on a video by Society of the Supernatural:

But there are other cases of strange frog creatures here and there. I just picked up Nick Redfern's new book on the Loch Ness monster, (a title I'll be writing a full review for soon) and low and behold there's a curious incident about a giant frog in the famous loch.

The incident was described years after it occurred and was published in the "Northern Chronicle." The tale involves one Duncan MacDonald who came face to face with the with the bizarre creature. According to Nick's recounting of the tale:

"It was his [MacDonald's] task to take a dip into Loch Ness, at Johnnies Point, and examine a ship that had sunk in the entrance to the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus. MacDonald was confronted by something far stranger than a sunken ship. After being lowered to a depth of around thirty feet, he suddenly raced for the surface, practically screaming to his friends to haul him aboard their vessel.It was several days before MacDonald could bring himself to confide in the rest of the crew what he had seen. It was nothing less than a frog-like creature, perched on a rock shelf, and which was around the size of a fully-grown goat. The beady-eyed monster and the terrified diver even locked eyes on each other, until MacDonald, momentarily paralyzed with fear, managed to swim for safety and reached the surface. Thankfully, the monster-sized frog--or whatever it was--did not pursue him."

Monday, June 12, 2017

By far, one of the strangest cases in the chronicles of cryptozoology is the story of the Loveland Frogman, or, more properly "frogmen."

Loveland, Ohio is a town of about 12,000 people. It's in the southwestern portion of the state and is northeast of Cincinnati. The town was once a busy railroad stop and it straddles the Little Miami River.

The first incident occurred in 1955 when a trio of the creatures were spotted standing by the side of the road. They were described as humanoid frogs standing four feet tall.

What really added weight to the legend was an encounter in 1972. In this case, a police officer spotted the odd creature. The officer saw the frogman clearly illuminated in his patrol car's headlights and watched as it climbed over a guardrail and headed down to the Little Miami River.

During our travels a couple of months ago, Society of the Supernatural made a stop in Loveland and went to the site of the famous encounters as part of our Local Legends series.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Back in the late 70's, NBC television aired two seasons of "Project U.F.O." The show was created by Jack Webb, famous for his role as Joe Friday on Dragnet. Webb's show was loosely based on the Air Force's Project Blue Book.

Now, Robert Zemeckis is headed to the History Channel with a new UFO investigation series titled "Blue Book." A scripted show based on, you guessed it, the government's Project Blue Book.

The actual Project Blue Book was open from 1952 through 1970 and Zemeckis says the show will follow investigations from the time periods of the actual investigations. The show will follow Dr. J. Allen Hynek, lead investigator for the real Blue Book and actual case files from the project will be used as basis for the stories. Ten episodes have been ordered. According to network president Paul Buccieri:

"Blue Book is inspired by the true covert events of an era in American history shrouded in mystery. Robert Zemeckis and the creative team have shaped an incredibly compelling narrative, building upon History's unique, growing brand of fact-based scripted programming."

The original show ran from 1978-1979. It was never re-aired due to a rights dispute.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

I joined show host Dave Schrader again this week for Darkness Radio's Beyond the Darkness. Our big topic of discussion this time around--recent investigations conducted by the Society of the Supernatural at some of the Ripley's museums.

Ripley's Believe it or Not has numerous "odditoriums" around the world and they're filled with relics and antiques that Robert Ripley gathered during his travels around the world.

We've uncovered some amazing evidence while investigating these locations and there's much more to come.

In the meantime, check out the link below for the show.

The episode also includes a brief discussion on the wave of flying humanoid sightings unfolding in Chicago.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

"Escape Rooms" have become very popular the last few years. Essentially, they're a life-sized puzzle. Locked in a room with other participants, you must work together to search the room, find the clues, and unravel the puzzle that will lead to your escape--all while the clock is ticking since you have a time limit to make a successful escape.

Right down the street from the haunted Bellaire House in Bellaire, Ohio is the Escape Zone. A puzzle room in an old, historic home that, you guessed it, is also reportedly haunted.

Society of the Supernatural was asked to come in and investigate the location to see if we could verify the ghostly claims.

We had a great time in this cool, atmospheric location and found a few interesting things. Special thanks to SOS friend Kristen Lee (owner of the Bellaire House) for setting this investigation up for us and for joining us during part of the investigation.

If you're in town to investigate the Bellaire House, take a side trip down the street and play the Escape Zone. See if you can beat the clock and while doing so, pay attention, you may have some phantom guests in the locked room with you.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Recently the Society of the Supernatural was in Moundsville, West Virginia for the Grave City Paracon. While there, we spent a night investigating the Archive of the Afterlife, an amazing collection of historic and haunted items.

Steve Hummel, the mastermind behind the Archive, has worked hard to gather curious items from around the world. Currently included in the collection are artifacts from World War Two, creepy haunted dolls, caskets, vintage photos and more.

Of special note are a number of items from the haunted, old West Virginia State Penitentiary. One of Steve's recent acquisitions is the cap from "old sparky," the electric chair used at the WV Penn to send a number of death row inmates to their final stop.

The investigation was especially intense for former law enforcement officer Dave Spinks. What appeared to be the angry spirit of one of the executed inmates came forth and was very unhappy with the presence of a former prison guard. The events from this investigation led to some intense incidents, a powerful and personal story that Dave may chose to share at some point.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Here's the continuation of Society of the Supernatural's in-depth investigation of the Ripley's Believe it or Not "Odditorium" on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.

Some fascinating incidents have been captured by security cameras at the location and we followed up on some of the reports to see if we could determine who, or what, has been causing the disturbances.

As with all Ripley's locations, the site contains many genuine artifacts gathered by the legendary Robert Ripley during his numerous travels around the world.

There are historic items that, at the least, hold a lot of residual energy, tribal artifacts used in various dances and ceremonies, even torture instruments that were put to horrifying use at different periods in history. Looking at one of the infamous "Iron Maidens" one can't help but be disturbed by the fact that it was built to inflict unbelievable pain.

During our time at the location, we had a lot of activity around the area that holds some of the torture equipment, as well as antique jail records for San Quentin prison. The same spot also has a display of arrest warrants from the 1500's.

It also comes as no surprise that I had some personal experiences and responses in the room loaded with tribal artifacts.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Disembodied voices, phantom footsteps and even poltergeist activity are part of the package at the Ripley's Believe it or Not! in Ocean City, Maryland.

Management has been busy all spring, updating and revamping displays, and making renovations in the building. Of course, this only served to kick up the energy a few notches and, as all the corners have been cleared, employees have noticed even more strange events occurring on the site.

Some employees even report the unnerving feeling of being followed around in certain areas of the museum after hours when the building is empty.

Society of the Supernatural's second night of investigation at the location was even more intense since we had plenty of time and a chance to zero in even more on some of the areas of high activity.

The tribal room at this location is pretty amazing and includes a Tibetan exorcist's suit, a number of African items, and one of the disturbingly real shrunken heads that Ripley gathered during his explorations.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Once again, the Society of the Supernatural was asked to document paranormal activity at a Ripley's Museum. This time, on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.

We were able to get to the location just before the hectic tourist season kicks off with Memorial Day weekend and it was a crazy trip.

Robert Ripley spent many years gathering exotic and unusual objects from around the world. Many of these items have amazing and intense energy. To top it off, this particular location is in a building with a lot of history. The oldest portion dates back to 1926 and saw the days of prohibition, the roaring 20's, the depression of the 30's and much, much more before becoming Ripley's Believe it or Not!

Check out the first portion of our investigation at this amazing odditorium!

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Writing in the Saga UFO Report in March 1977, Gray Barker detailed a weird encounter that happened near William's Lake, Michigan.

The incident occurred late at night on May 15, 1976.

A couple observed a peculiar light that "hovered and oscillated" rapidly over the area above the lake. Later that night, they were parked in an isolated spot next to the lake when they spotted another light over the water.

The man leaned out of the window to get a better look when something grabbed him. He jumped back inside then a huge, dark humanoid shape leaned over the car and began scratching and rocking the vehicle.

A creature, described as having a huge, reptilian like face with a wide slit mouth and bulbous eyes thrust itself partly through the window and grabbed one of the witnesses with a large, flipper like hand.

The second witness struck the creature on the face with a bottle and it withdrew outside. The creature then retreated and apparently jumped into the lake, as the witness heard a loud "splash."

Monday, May 15, 2017

Kristen Lee, owner of the haunted Bellaire house in Bellaire, Ohio has launched a gofundme campaign to save the home.

The saga surrounding the house is long and convoluted. Kristen went through her own personal hell while living in the home, a journey she documented in her book "1699 Belmont Street: A Portal to Hell." As she states in the advert for the book:

"Imagine living with a small child and having an inhuman specter haunt you. Imagine having years of paranormal experience that you cannot explain or have the courage to speak of. Imagine having your family torn apart by paranormal activity and spirits that want you to be isolated so they can do as they please to you inside a portal to Hell."

In the years since her experiences, Kristen has made great strides in recovering from those years and she has continued to move forward, offering the home to the paranormal community so that other teams could experience the wide range of phenomena and document evidence of the supernatural.

Out of the blue, Kristen was recently hit with a demand for payment of past due monies on the home. I won't go into all the details as to why these claims of monies due are suspect. Most of it Kristen has publicly posted herself on her social media pages. Needless to say, she is now in a battle to save the home both for herself, her business, and for the paranormal community at large.

Kristen has taken very active steps in raising money to save the home, including several events and an auction of haunted items. Now, she's calling out for further help with the launching of the gofundme campaign.

Please check out the page and contribute if at all possible. There are some great perks for those who can contribute, and even the smallest donation will help save this historic and fascinating haunted home.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Right beside the notoriously haunted Bellaire House sits another, abandoned home with a dark history.

A lot of stories are associated with this place. Stories of death, drug use, child abuse and more. What caused the last residents to suddenly leave? Simple misfortune and loss of income, or something more sinister?

While spending time recently in Bellaire, we took a late night journey into this creepy location. Debris, refuse and drug paraphernalia litter the home. Furnishings and clothing remain. The atmosphere is unsettling. Some areas of the house were too dangerous to venture into due to black mold and rotting floors, but what we did see was certainly creepy.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Dave Spinks and I were recently back for yet another investigation at the notorious Bellaire House in Bellaire, Ohio.

We've been called to this location on countless occasions and on each visit, the level of activity and manifestations varies.

Located at 1699 Belmont Street, the home has a long history of paranormal activity. Dave and I have done extensive investigations in the Bellaire house, fully documenting its supernatural history. There are numerous factors that may contribute to the strange activity that has taken place in the house. Land cursed by Native Americans, mining disasters in the coal mines under the home and seances and other spiritual activity practiced in the house over the years are just a few of the things involved in this haunting.

As always, thanks to our good friend, and owner of the Bellaire House, Kristen Lee, for asking us in to investigate.

Check out the video below for a taste of what we captured this time around:

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

It was cold and raining last weekend in the hills of Pennsylvania, but despite the weather, the Bigfoot Camping Adventure rolled on.

This was the event's second year and enthusiasts from around the country proved that not even mother nature would prevent them from turning out to gather and discuss the hairy creature known as Sasquatch.

Organized and hosted by Eric Altman, the event was held at the Brenner's Meadow Run Campground in Farmington, PA. Surrounded by prime Sasquatch country, a lot of attendees braved the elements and took part in night hikes through the trails around the campground, searching for signs of the elusive beast.

During the day on Saturday and Sunday, there were numerous talks given by notables in the field including Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Steve Kulls, Stan Gordon and many more.

There was even a showing of The Legend of Boggy Creek, a film that inspired many modern cryptozoologists. There was plenty of food on hand, a charity auction featuring some amazing Bigfoot related items, music, and lots of sharing of accounts of Sasquatch encounters.

The best part was, the whole event was put together to support some local charities!

It was great to hang out with Eric, Lon Strickler, Jay Bachochin and of course, good friend, Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

Eric Altman deserves a ton of credit for pulling this off despite the weather, the stress of organizing such an event, and the other various challenges that arose.
It's a real sign of both dedication, and how much people were enjoying themselves, that many braved the cold and rain to participate in the weekend's events.

Eric says he's taking a break and won't produce an event next year. Time will tell, but I suspect there'll be a lot of people calling for a return of the Bigfoot Camping Adventure!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Great to be back on Spaced Out Radio once again last night with host Dave Scott.

First hour was a discussion on a wide range of paranormal topics with a focus on investigating haunted locations and the paranormal in modern media and pop culture. We discussed how investigating has been affected by the popularity of ghost shows and entertainment.

My Haunted Toys co-author, Ross Allison, joined us for the second hour as we continued in the same vein and spoke some on creepy dolls, games and other haunted toys.

Ross stuck around himself for the last hour to wrap things up.

Spaced Out Radio is a class A show and is rising fast in popularity. If you aren't listening, you should be!

Friday, April 14, 2017

Monday, April 10, 2017

Lots of great feedback from Saturday night's Coast to Coast AM show that I appeared on along with Ross Allison. The C2C website has posted a brief rundown on some of the highlights of the show:

"In the second half of the program, researchers David Weatherly and Ross Allison talked about their new exploration into the world of haunted toys--unnerving games that skirt the edges of darkness, antiques with spirits that have never let them go, locations where ghosts still play with toys and, or course, creepy dolls that are a bit too lifelike. Some items can become possessed or have spirits attached to them which try to communicate with or create trouble for the owner, Weatherly explained. There are many dolls similar to Annabelle and Robert, he added.According to Allison, a child with a strong attachment to a toy may not know how to let go of the toy in death. The toy may hold residual energy from the experience of the child who played with it and part of the child's consciousness could be attached to it, Weatherly added. He reported on the history of the Devil Baby Doll and how even modern versions of these dolls haunt their owners. Allison spoke about a game which involves playing Hide and Go Seek Alone with a possessed doll.The two men also covered disturbing games, including Charlie Charlie and the Bath Game. "We're talking about games that are essentially designed to summon something," Weatherly warned, pointing out how these games may open portals that remain accessible by spirits. Allison detailed the Bath Game in which a child enters the tub in a darkened bathroom, washes his hair, and chants to summon the ghost of a woman who died while bathing. "Some claim that you'll actually feel her wet hair coming up on your back or you might feel her breathing on you," he said. Perhaps the creepiest thing about the game is it starts the next day after the bath ritual. The spirit follows the child around the next day but should not be allowed to catch him, Allison revealed."

Sunday, April 9, 2017

On Saturday night, I made another return to Coast to Coast AM, this time to discuss my new book, Haunted Toys. My co-author, Ross Allison joined me as we spent the last two hours of the show discussing creepy dolls, disturbing games and more with host Dave Schrader.

Dave is always a great host and obviously enjoys delving into the weird. If you missed the live show, you can still catch it through membership at the C2C website.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Retired basketball star Shaquille O'Neal has announced his new reality television series, Shaq: UFO Hunter, debuting this fall.

O'Neil says he is very excited about the new twist in his career path, but that it's actually what he's wanted to do his entire life:

"I've wanted to chase UFO's my whole life. In fact, that's why I became a basketball player. All those years of looking up for the basket was good practice for sky watching. Getting the ball past opposing players was, in my mind, practice in getting past those nasty little alien greys.I'm well versed in all the information that's already out there about UFOs and spacemen. In fact, I have every episode of the X-Files on DVD. Most of them I've watched more than once."

Asked about the rumor that Michael Jordan, another retired Basketball star, would be joining him on the show, Shaq responded:

"Nah, nah, Micheal's cool and we talked about the possibility of doubling teaming against the greys, but man, he gets all crazy talking about Bigfoot and stuff. I don't buy the whole Bigfoot thing at all. I think all those tracks people find are from Basketball stars out hiking. I'm just going to do this show solo with a small crew of about 30 production people, so it could get scary out there.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

I recently made another return visit to host Seriah Azkath's show, Where Did the Road Go?

This time around, we had a discussion on Tulpas, and, as is usual during a great conversation, there were many twists and turns around the subject. Thoughtforms, ghosts, bigfoot, this one has a wide array of topics.

Timothy Renner also joined us for the show and shared his thoughts and experiences and it was great to have him along for the ride.

Monday, March 20, 2017

The Society of the Supernatural has been called to Indiana on numerous occasions. The state is rife with paranormal activity and haunted locations. Here's a short video from some of the time we spent investigating some haunted tunnels in the state.

These tunnels are thick limestone sprinkled throughout with quartz crystal. We decided it was a good location to utilize the Jacob's ladder to further amp up the energy.
Despite being deep underground, we were able to pick up communication on a ghost box. Some of the communication was taunting and bizarre.

There were other, anomalous sounds in the tunnel as well as shadow figures. Historical info on the location says that both men and women were abused in these tunnels and there are rumors of various nasty entities making themselves known to any who dare the dark passages.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Another historic location famous for paranormal activity is making its way to the silver screen.

CBS Films has announced that principal photography has begun on "Winchester," a film based on the Winchester mystery house in San Jose, California and the legacy of the Winchester family.

Billed as a "supernatural thriller," the film stars Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as Sarah Winchester, the key figure in the construction of the home and its strange layout.

Legend says that Sarah believed she was haunted by the spirits of everyone killed by the Winchester repeating rifle. After her husband and child passed away, Winchester was plagued by the voices of countless souls, angry and upset over their passing. It was the heyday of spiritualism and according to reports of the time, a medium from Boston purportedly channeled Mr. Winchester and told Sarah to leave her home in New Haven and travel west. There, she should continuously build a home for both herself and the restless spirits who were victims of the Winchester rifles.

Other sources claim that Sarah believed that her family fortune itself was cursed by the ghosts of those killed by the rifles and only by building the home, could she quiet the spirits.

As to the movie version of the story, according to a press release for the film:

"The film follows the story of firearm heiress Sarah Winchester (Mirren), who was convinced that she was haunted by the souls killed at the hands of the Winchester repeating rifle. After the sudden deaths of her husband and child, she threw herself into the 24 hours a day, seven days a week construction of an enormous mansion designed to keep the evil spirits at bay. But when skeptical San Francisco psychiatrist Eric Price (Clarke) is dispatched to the estate to evaluate her state of mind, he discovers that her obsession may not be so insane after all. WINCHESTER will take audiences inside the labyrinth-like house that is believed to be one of the most haunted places in the world."

The Winchester Mystery house is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historical Landmark. Tours of the home are available, more information available at the official website:

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Ross Allison and I joined hosts Travis Shortt and Wendy Schindler for their show Mystic Moon Cafe Radio last night. If you missed the live show, the archive is up and available. Check it out at the link below.

We covered a range of haunted toys and had some general discussion about the paranormal field, good times with fun people!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

The new issue of Cryptid Culture is now available featuring a great lineup of articles from the likes of Kevin Nelson, Colin Schneider, Robert Robinson and more.

My own article in this issue covers the Water Hounds of Ireland. Strange tales from the Emerald Isle that are usually overshadowed by neighboring Scotland's famous Loch Ness creature, but just as fascinating.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

I recently sat down with my old friend Chris Fleming for another episode of his monthly podcast, Spirit Talk. This time around, we're covering Haunted Toys, the subject of the new book I co-wrote with Ross Allison.

As usual, Chris and I wandered off into other territory, talking about concepts involving haunted objects in general and what may, or may not be, attached to items. We also covered some creepy games and what the implications are for those who play them.

Listen to Spirit Talk at the website below, and be sure to check out the archives, Chris has a lot of great shows posted.

Monday, March 13, 2017

Here's a recent investigation conducted by Society of the Supernatural at a historic resort in West Virginia.

In its heyday, the location was a popular destination for those seeking healing in the rich mineral springs that run through the property. During the Civil War, the home served as a hospital for soldiers from both sides of the conflict.

Numerous deaths occurred on the land and there's a range of supernatural activity associated with the home. Strange light anomalies, apparitions, shadow figures, and disembodied voices are all part of the unexplained activity.

Check out a portion of our investigation below, and be sure to subscribe, lots more coming:

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Santa Tomas, Nicaragua, a small village in the southern region of the country, has been struck with a bizarre series of incidents being attributed to black magic.

Citizens of the village appear to be suffering from "grisi siknis," or, "crazy sickness" in English. The syndrome has been known to affect communities in Central America.

Symptoms of the condition include dizzy spells, nausea, paranoia, outbursts of anger and periods of 'rapid frenzy' that include wild movements and out of control behaviors. Those suffering the condition can become very violent during their episodes. Victims also have visions of demons and spirits while in their trance like state and are believed to be possessed during their fits.

Over thirty villagers have now been affected by the symptoms. Even the contagious aspect of the condition is odd. When a person is infected, they announce the name of the next person who will come down with the disease.

One woman in the village attempted to help her friends by creating an herbal remedy for the condition. Marisella, who makes herbal potions, mixed up a remedy to pour over the affected victims hoping it would drive away the evil spirits.

She determined that the source of the trouble was black magic and that someone intentionally worked a spell to affect the village. Following up on her theory, Marisella believes that she found the source of the dark spell: a voodoo doll.

The doll was found hidden in the village. It wears a black ribbon and has a cross drawn across its face. Marisella and the other villagers believe that the doll was used to place a curse on them and send evil spirits into their midst.

The people decided to burn the doll believing that such an act would break the dark magic placed on them.

Mass possession, mass hysteria, or something else at work?
No further updates have been reported on current conditions in the village, only time will tell if the burning ceremony has somehow cleansed the community and its people.

Monday, March 6, 2017

In the 1950's a series of strange reports came from a remote region of Argentina. The incidents caught the attention of those tracking UFO reports at the time and the activity was attributed to possible visitors from another planet.

But looking at the details closely, with an open mind, we find that these reports move into territory uncomfortable for many investigators--a case that appears to have elements of both UFO activity and evidence of giant humanoids with traits similar to Sasquatch.

Flying cigar shaped crafts, strange cries ringing out in the wilderness, giant human like prints high in the mountains and more. Here are more of the details:

The Atacama region of Argentina, location of strange incidents.

Puna Atacama, Argentina. A desolate region located on the heights of the Cordilleras, near the country's border with Chile.

Statements were made to reporters in 1956 that indicated there was evidence of:"...strange beings on the snowy caps of the Macon, a mountain which rises to a height of 6,700 meters.""The witnesses said that they had seen tracks, human-like in characteristics, of giant proportions, not only in the frozen sands of the Macon, but also in the snow on the pampas where they abode."

Apparently, the tracks were first seen and reported a year before, in the fall of 1955. Coinciding with the tracks were reports of a "colossal commotion" on the side of the mountain. People in the region believed that an aerial object had made impact with the mountain. The incident site was never investigated and there were no reports of missing planes in the area at the time.

Some locals stated that the object that crashed into the side of the mountain was a "giant airship of a strange form like a Havana cigar."

"Flying cigars" similar to this were being reported in the skies over Argentina.

In fact, locals made numerous statements that they had seen craft shaped like "flying cigars" in the skies over Salar de Guisare. A few weeks after these reports, people living in the area started to talk about the strange tracks being found high in the mountains.

The two incidents may be unrelated, but UFO trackers of the period speculated there was a connection. It was, after all, the 1950's a time when people were convinced that the Earth could be invaded by spacemen at any time. One researcher wrote:

"...these facts have given rise to the possibility that extra-terrestrial beings are landing on the planet earth!"

According to an article of the time:

"It is to be noted that due to the vast extension of snowy pampas on the heights of the Atacama, the place is ideal for such landings of airships of gigantic proportions, and may well indeed be related to the declaration of the residents of the region, who affirm that they have seen flying over the region, strange ships whose length was calculated at 300 meters!The National Gendarmes supplied the newspapers with some photographs showing the passage of the strange craft in the skies over Salta and these were similar to those seen in other parts of the world."
(I have been unable to locate these photos as of the posting of this article)

Purportedly, there was more evidence and testimony gathered from locals as the incidents were probed further:

"Informants declared that on occasions they have heard, with great clarity, strange cries resounding during the time of the setting sun and especially when the creeks began to freeze at nightfall.In addition, people have said that, among the crags where the condors and eagles make their abodes, they have found quantities of these birds dead and partially destroyed, and their nests ravaged.The witnesses also said that in all the cases, near or around the nests, they have seen giant human-like tracks which cannot be attributed to bears, as was thought in the beginning."

Apparently, according to locals, although the details of these incidents were known for some time, they were not reported for fear of ridicule.

Locals in the area, especially those who ventured into the mountains and saw the evidence, believed that the incidents were proof of the intrusion of strange visitors in the region.

Apparently, a "well known geologist" by the name of Spitch reported seeing the anomalous tracks in the mountains which prompted other people to come forward with their testimonies.

What exactly was going on in the skies over Argentina? Experimental aircraft? Actual extraterrestrial visitors?

And what made the giant, human like tracks high in the mountains while raiding the nests of dangerous raptors and other birds?

Some researchers at the time made immediate connections believing that giants had come down to visit from another planet. Later researchers dismissed the incidents because they didn't fit a comfortable paradigm of nuts and bolts UFOlogy. But in a quiet village in Argentina, locals knew that something unusual was in their midst.Some reports of these incidents were originally filed by Horacio Gonzalez Ganteaume.

About Me

David Weatherly is a paranormal investigator and author. For 40 years he has explored the world of the strange, investigating cases around the country and abroad. He has written and lectured on a diverse range of topics including Cryptozoology, Ufology and Hauntings.
David has also studied Shamanic and magical traditions with elders from numerous cultures including Europe, Tibet, Native America, and Africa.
He has appeared on numerous radio programs including: Coast to Coast AM, Dreamland, Veritas and Darkness Radio. David was also featured in Watchers Volume 5 and on Ancient Aliens.
He is the author of "The Black Eyed Children," "Strange Intruders" and the Wood Knocks series.

Contact

Have an experience to share? I'm always interested in hearing your personal reports. Simply post in the comments section on this blog, or if it's a longer account, send it to me at: twocrowsparanormal@gmail.com. Either way, your message comes straight to me.